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LEEDS
FILM FESTIVAL 2003 / SHEFFIELD “CINEMADAYS” EVENT
report
by Neil Young
official
websites : Leeds Film
Festival & CinemaDays
SECTION
ONE : Sheffield / Leeds
Thursday
2nd October (Sheffield) : Kill Bill : Vol.1, Mystic River,
S.W.A.T.
Friday
3rd (Leeds) : The Coast Guard, Aro Tolbukhin - In the Mind
of a Killer, Shangri-La (Japan Goes Bankrupt), Ju-On : The Grudge,
Visitor Q
SECTION
TWO : Sheffield / Leeds
Saturday
4th (Sheffield) : Love Actually, Alien - Director’s Cut,
A Mighty Wind
Sunday
5th (Sheffield) : The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen;
(Leeds) They’ve Got Knut
SECTION
THREE : Leeds
Friday
10th : All About My Father, Dead End
Sunday
12th : Time of the Wolf, Undead, Bubba Ho-Tep
Thursday
2nd October
“Cinemadays”
press-screening event, UGC Cinema, Sheffield
KILL
BILL : VOL. 1
6?/10
[rated
7/10 after second viewing,
15th Oct]
USA
2003 : Quentin TARANTINO : 110 mins
[INITIAL
REACTION]
After
box-office dud Jackie Brown (still his best), Tarantino retreats
to hermetic bedroom-universe with wildly overhyped two-parter. Not since
Kubrick heyday has nervy Hollywood studio indulged ‘genius’ director to
such lengths. Plot ostentatiously slight: after four comatose years, assassin
(Uma Thurman) tracks down ex-colleagues who bloodily gatecrashed her wedding.
Vengeance-quest is gore-splatted, though very sub-Miike. Deliberately
daft, larkish picture has enough touches of wit and brilliance to stay
watchable, despite annoying detours into dead-ends of ‘cool’ (i.e. asinine
immaturity.) Entertaining, but QT far too talented to waste time on bloated
B-movie shenanigans.
[click
here for full-length version
of ‘initial reaction’ review written in proper sentences]
[click
here for notes on second
viewing, 15th Oct]
MYSTIC
RIVER
6/10
USA
2003 : Clint EASTWOOD : 138 mins
Much
like the other big Sean Penn Oscar-touted pic 21
Grams, Mystic River is essentially melodrama freighted
with gravity and grief, given (unwarranted?) suggestions of depth by some
powerhouse performances (Penn fine, Tim Robbins outstanding) – but ultimately
rather less than meets eye. For all its dour solidity, at heart a whodunnit
that turns out to hinge on a wildly implausible coincidence. Eastwood
takes stately approach to relatively pulpy material (based on chunky bestseller
by Dennis Lehane). Structure is basic Stephen King: childhood pals / dark
secret / drift apart / reunited by crisis when adults. Slight timeline
confusion/inconsistency, however : if they were 11 years old, and it’s
now 25 years later, shouldn’t they be 36? Penn, Robbins and Kevin Bacon
look around decade older… Absorbing stuff – if predictable: identity of
killer not hard to spot, despite massive red herring dangled insistently
in our faces. Final half builds to very grim, bleak, downbeat final showdown
between out-for-justice bereaved dad and prime suspect. Portentous dialogue
(and title), slow pace stretches running-time far beyond two hours: even
given this length, female characters sidelined: Laura Linney and Marcia
Gay Harden not given enough to do. Flag in background (as well as crosses):
subtext of post-9/11, coping with grief, search for revenge/justice. Intriguing
that film seems to come down emphatically against vigilante justice.
Mystic River: intriguingly muddy, slow-moving waters, but not quite
as deep as they look.
S.W.A.T.
3/10
USA
2003 : Clark Johnson : 111 mins (approx)
According
to poster tagline, ‘Even cops dial 911.’ Unfortunately, film critics have
no such emergency panic-button response available when confronted with
such a depressingly poor excuse for action-movie. Scriptwriter David Ayer
(Training Day, Dark
Blue) credited for utterly perfunctory script: string of uninspired
would-be set-pieces add up to lumbering, paceless structure. Product placement
abounds (Dr Pepper etc – but of course whole film is extremely thinly
veiled recruitment ad for SWAT (“We don’t take lives – we save lives!”
etc etc). Second such dodgy pic for star Colin Farrell after CIA-advert
The Recruit – he’s going
to have to learn to be more discriminating in his choice of material.
Likewise the promising Brian Van Holt – again the good-natured, good-looking
subordinate, but this is his third clunker in a row after Basic
and Confidence. Has
very little to do – likewise Michelle Rodriguez once again wasted as ‘tough
Hispanic babe’ caricature. All so by-the-numbers: doesn’t even provide
thickear fun in vein of Swordfish
or Half Past Dead.
Dull two hours – a noisy waste of time and money. Score tries to sound
like Heat; fails.
Friday
3rd October
Leeds
Film Festival
THE
COAST GUARD
4/10
Hae
anseon : South Korea 2002 : KIM Ki-Duk : 94 mins (seen at Ster
Century cinema)
Madness
always one of duller subjects for films. Coast Guard offers two
established types of insanity: male homicidal fury – military mind gone
insane (cf Stacy Keach in The
Ninth Configuration); female regression to giggling childhood
of la-la-land lyricism. Both cases result of same ultra-violent, ultra-gory
incident: snogging lovers mistaken for spies by jittery army personnel
guarding Korean coastline. Bloke gets machine-gunned then blown up by
hand-grenade during sex. His partner understandably upset. Killer-soldier
suffers severe trauma/stress. Both eventually spiral right over the edge
into craziness. But he’s pretty volatile to begin with: conspicuously
gung-ho sort (though only a Private). His development: one-way trip to
full-blown psychosis. Film bogs down into repetitive histrionics – and
some clunky techniques (his disturbed mind indicated by camera shooting
action through a wobbly pane of glass). Strong on khaki tensions – barracks
feuds, hysteria/paranoia of commanding officers. But focus on insane pair
leads to dramatically inert results – Kim presumably saying something
very profound and heartfelt about local politics (film ends with caption
“praying for a peaceful unification of Korea”. As in previous films, director
not squeamish about making fish suffer fairly horribly on-camera. Finding
Nemo this ain’t.
ARO
TOLBUKHIN – IN THE MIND OF A KILLER
5/10
Aro
Tolbukhin – En la mente del asesino : Spain (Spn/Mex) 2002
: Isaac-Pierre RACINE & Agustin VILLARONGA : 95 mins (seen at Ster
Century cinema)
Strong,
original idea – faux-documentary on a Hungarian who may or may not have
gone on a kill-crazy rampage in early-80s Guatemala. And apparently convincing
that those who don’t know the background have mistaken it for the real
thing. But let down by some uninspired execution. “20 years on”, Tolbukhin’s
story is pieced together via 8mm footage / video / TV reports / newspapers
/ audio tape / interview with surviving witnesses and acquaintances –
including two key figures: 1) ex-nun whose relationship with Tolbukhin
was key in her leaving the sisterhood, 2) Tolbukhin’s nanny from post-war
Hungary. Hacing constructed such an intriguing framework, directors undo
their efforts with clunky, very slow-moving ‘dramatisations’ which accompany
the ex-nun and nanny’s recollections. Hand-held, grainy stock for Guatelama
1980, glowing monochrome for Hungary 1956. Moments when picture catches
fire – literally so, in key Hungarian event that is easily most spectacular
event. But too torpid too often. Regains footing for climax – footage
of Tolbukhin’s execution is shown. But, like so many key elements, those
commenting on what we see misremember: testimonies are unreliable / conflicting,
and in any case offer only a partial ‘explanation’ of whatever Tolbukhin
may or may not have done – and why. Like Capturing
the Friedmans, concerned with exposing the limits, and limitations,
of documentary form – but Tolbukhin falls down as drama.
SHANGRI-LA
(JAPAN GOES BANKRUPT)
7+/10
Kin'yuu
hametsu Nippon - Tôgenkyô no hito-bito aka Togenkyo* :
Japan 2002 : MIIKE Takashi : 105 mins
(seen
at Hyde Park cinema – video projection)
A
printer on the verge of bankruptcy finds salvation – and some very unorthodox
advice - from an unlikely quarter in Shangri-La, a comic take on
Japan’s financial crisis that sees Miike once again display a real flair
for comedy (though even in his darkest horrors there’s usually plenty
of sick humour on display). Upbeat, humanistic stuff in vein of The
Happiness of the Katakuris, except without that movie’s demented
flights of fancy and cheesy ‘special’ effects: low-budget DV appropriate
form to tell tale revolving around community of “homeless” (more accurate
to say “houseless”) folk and their charismatic, enigmatic “Mayor”: played
by A.Show in Dylanesque frightwig and dark glasses. Described in some
quarters as Ealingesque, but Kaurismaki of Man
Without A Past perhaps a more accurate comparison. As with Katakuris,
larkish exterior but solid emotional core underpins it: touching and surprisingly
moving moments (Nabe-san’s ancient husband enjoying a simple meal of hot
soup). Improvised feel, but surprising how tight this script is
(based on a novel). Very tricky to do financial satire and sweet
but unsentimental pic about capitalism’s casualties. Miike nimbly avoids
the pitfalls – bouncy atmosphere, effortlessly watchable mise-en-scene,
terrific set-pieces. Music a real plus, and very little ‘down-time’ –
adds up to a minor delight.
For
more information on director Takashi Miike check out our Director's
Lounge
*
Japanese subtitle translates as "Village of the Financially Damned"
JU-ON
: THE GRUDGE
7/10
Ju-On
aka The Grudge : Japan 2003 : SHIMIZU Takashi : 92 mins
(seen at Hyde Park cinema)
“The
next big horror thing” from Japan – and of course remake rights have been
snapped up by Hollywood. No surprise to find it’s in tradition of Ring
and imitators – creepy female ghost, haunted building, viral/spiralling
circles of haunting/infection. But Ju-On fascinating for its formal
innovation: short, discrete chapters follow identical pattern of creepy
beginning, shock climax. Each chapter focusses on single victim. We jump
back and forth in time, and the links between all the people gradually
become apparent. Not always easy, however, to say with certainty who’s
who, where and when – such questions seem old hat, so determined is Shimizu
to explore variations on one theme: adds up to an enjoyable (if somewhat
hermetic) exercise in pure horror mechanics: use of the frame, build-up/release
of tension, peek-a-boo shocks, etc. Repetitive, but no less effective
for that. As they used to say about Dario Argento: don’t think, just panic.
Banal crannies of houses/offices etc are entry points for sinister developments
and visitors. Touches of genius: subtle (but nicely horrible) highlight
when character takes a lift with see-through door: identical spectral
kid visible on every single floor.
For
a full review of this film click here.
VISITOR
Q
6?/10
Bizita
Q : Japan 2001 : MIIKE Takashi : 84 mins (seen at Hyde Park
cinema – video projection)
Where
to begin? Even Miike devotees likely to gawp open-mouthed at developments
towards end of this one. If, that is, their eyes are still similarly ajar.
As in Deadly Outlaw: Rekka,
stretches of fairly unforgivable tedium along the way in tale of dysfunctional
family sorted out, Theorem / Brimstone & Treacle style, by
mysterious stranger (titular ‘visitor Q’, a dandy in red shirt and leather
pants). Opens with a bang – literally (dad has sex with his prostitute
daughter – incest in mirrored room) then slows down. But perks up with
fireworks – literally (bullied kid’s house targeted by pyrotechnic-wielding
tormentors). Later developments crash merrily through taste-barrier: mother
lactates in endless jets all over kitchen floor; ‘greenhouse’ scene involves
anal necrophilia, the corpse’s orifice lubricated by posthumous excreta.
Miike deserves credit for sheer kick-ass transgression – but churns out
so many movies (four to six average per year) that quality control inevitably
dips from time to time. This video-shot quickie far from his best, but
hard to knock such brazen audacity.
For
more information on director Takashi Miike check out our Director's
Lounge
Buy Visitor
Q
by Neil
Young
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